Intraperitoneal Administration of p53-armed Oncolytic Adenovirus Inhibits Peritoneal Metastasis of Diffuse-type Gastric Cancer Cells

Background/Aim: Diffuse-type gastric cancer (GC) frequently exhibits peritoneal metastasis, leading to poor prognosis. However, efforts to develop antitumor strategies for preventing the peritoneal metastasis of GC have been unsuccessful. As diffuse-type GC cells often carry a genetic alteration in the tumor suppressor p53 gene, p53 restoration may be a potent strategy for preventing peritoneal metastasis of GC. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of p53-expressing adenoviral vectors against peritoneal metastasis of diffuse-type GC cells. Materials and Methods: Three diffuse-type human GC cell types with different p53 statuses (p53-wild type NUGC-4, p53-mutant type GCIY, and p53-null type KATOIII) were used to evaluate the therapeutic potential of p53 activation induced by the p53-expressing, replication-deficient adenovirus Ad-p53 and oncolytic adenovirus OBP-702. Viability, apoptosis, and autophagy of virus-treated GC cells were analyzed under normal and sphere-forming culture conditions using the XTT assay and western blot analysis. The in vivo antitumor effects of OBP702 and Ad-p53 were assessed using xenograft tumor models involving peritoneal metastasis of NUGC-4 and GCIY cells.Results: Under normal and sphere-forming culture conditions, OBP-702 induced a significantly greater antitumor effect in GC cells compared with Ad-p53 by strongly inducing p53mediated apoptosis and autophagy and receptor tyrosine kinase suppression. In vivo experiments demonstrated that intraperitoneal administration of OBP-702 significantly suppressed the peritoneal metastasis of NUGC-4 and GCIY cells compared with Ad-p53, leading to prolonged survival of mice. Conclusion: Intraperitoneal administration of OBP-702 inhibits the peritoneal metastasis of GC cells by inducing p53mediated cytopathic activity.